Ancient Hellenistic Harbor Discovered in Acre, Israel

By Alisa Odenheimer -
Jul 17, 2012

An ancient harbor where warships may
have docked 2,300 years ago has been discovered by
archaeologists in the Israeli port city of Acre.

The harbor, the largest and most important found in Israel
from the Hellenistic period, was uncovered during archaeological
excavations carried out as part of a seawall conservation
project, the Israel Antiquities Authority said today. Among the
finds were large mooring stones incorporated in the quay and
used to secure sailing vessels, the IAA said.

“This unique and important find finally provides an
unequivocal answer to the question of whether we are dealing
with port installations or the floor of a building,” said Kobi
Sharvit, director of the IAA’s marine archaeology unit, of the
mooring stones.

The excavations also uncovered collapsed stones that
possibly belonged to large buildings which were spread over
dozens of meters, Sharvit said.

“What emerges from these finds is a clear picture of
systematic and deliberate destruction of the port facilities
that occurred in antiquity,” Sharvit said.

The excavation will continue in those sections of the
harbor that extend in the direction of the sea, the IAA said.
The archaeologists will try to clarify if there is a connection
between the destruction of the harbor and the Hasmonean uprising
in 167 B.C., the destruction wrought by Ptolemy in 312 B.C. or
some other event.

Parts of the quay continue beneath the Ottoman city wall,
and it may not be possible to excavate these, it said.

Along with the mooring stones, thousands of fragments of
pottery vessels, as well as unbroken vessels and metallic
objects were found. Preliminary identification of the pottery
vessels indicates that many of them come from port cities in the
Aegean Sea, including Knidos, Rhodes and Kos.